Hawaii Kai / East Oahu Event Calendar

November 17 - In Hawaii Kai, power was restored to nearly all affected Hawaiian Electric (HECO) customers by daybreak. At about 3:30 in the morning, a SUV veered off the road and into a HECO structure. The crash took out electricity to approximately1,700 homes. [KHON]

November 15 - In response to Hawaii Kai and other neighborhood boards' input, the Honolulu Police Department has changed its policy to include violent crimes in its public disclosure map. During the latest 90-day period, no violent crimes were reported in the Hawaii Kai area [Star-Advertiser] [crimemapping.com]

September 18 - Of Hawaii's 66 National Merit Semifinalists, Four were from Kaiser High School (Emerson Goo, Shiori K. Green, Seo Jin Song and Kaylee R. Young) and two were from Kalani High School (Kacie T. Kajihara and Emily Yang). Kaiser is the public school with the most semi-finalists in 2016. Finalists will be named around February. [Star-Advertiser - library card req]

November 11 - Motorists are advised of lane shifts on Kalanianaole Highway between Sea Life Park and the Makapuu Lookout. Work will take place on Monday, Nov. 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for rock fall mitigation netting replacements. A helicopter will be used for a portion of the work. Drivers are reminded to stay focused on the roadway and not on the work occurring above. Officers will be on site to help direct traffic. [HIDOT]

November 10 - Former Kaiser High School teacher and local educator Dr. Maenette K. P. Ah Nee-Benham has been recommended as UH West Oahu's next chancellor. [UH]

November 8 - Former Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang will be East Oahu’s new state senator. Chang ousted Sam Slom, the last Republican in the State Senate. Slom says he will continue to work for the community by attending neighborhood board meetings and staying vocal on issues. [KHON]

November 8 - Civil Beat highlights the East Oahu town of Kaimuki as a little vintage, a little hipster. [Civil Beat]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) has issued the following alert for its National Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) network:

000
NOHW40 PHFO 042154
PNSHFO
HIZ001>028-051000-
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
1154 AM HST Fri Nov 4 2016
...INTERMITTENT OUTAGES FOR HAWAII KAI NWR TRANSMITTER...
Due to a HECO system upgrade, which requires replacing powerline
poles, the Hawaii Kai NWR transmitter will be down intermittently
on the following dates: November 15th, 17th, and 19th. The power
will be shut off at approximately 8:00am on these dates and will
be reconnected each date as the work is complete. We apologize for
any inconvenience this may cause our listeners.
$$
Evans

November 3 - The Honolulu Police Department continues to investigate the source of a stray bullet which landed in a Hawaii Kai home. HPD concedes it would be difficult to determine whether the bullet came from the nearby Koko Head Shooting Range. [KHON]

November 2 - Gridlock along Kalanianaole Highway is prompting calls to improve traffic light synchronization on the highway and brainstorm other efforts to accommodate more cars, especially given talk of potential new developments popping up in East Honolulu. [HNN]

November 2 - Aina Haina community comes together for pedestrian awareness [KITV][KHON]

November 1 - Firefighters rescued a hiker from Koko Crater trail at around 6:30pm. The visitor from Oregon was hiking alone and sustained injuries from an apparent fall. [Star Advertiser]

October 25 - The Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale, Downtown/Chinatown, Hawaii Kai and Koolauloa neighborhood boards have been among those that have unsuccessfully sought to get Hawaii police to report more comprehensive information. The Honolulu Police Department was the only department among more than 150 that the Star-Advertiser checked nationally to limit its mapping to nonviolent crimes. [Star-Advertiser - Library card required]

October 27 - Island Brew Coffee at Hawaii Kai Shopping Center has opened a second location in Kaimuki. [PBN]

October 27 - The Schaefer family of Hawaii Kai appears on Family Feud [Star Advertiser]

October 26 - Hawaii's Board of Education (BOE) announces a Nationwide search for Kathryn Matayoshi's replacement. Matayoshi, the superintendent of Hawaii's public schools, has not announced that she is resigning. This surprise move takes place shortly after the resignation of Jim Williams and the subsequent appointment of Darrel Galera at BOE. [HNN] [Civil Beat (1) (2) (3)]

October 26 - The Hawaii Kai community recently formed a homeless task force with a two-fold mission: Offer help to the homeless and ensure encampments aren't allowed to stick around and grow. The 10-member task force formed last month under the guidance of state Rep. Gene Ward (Hawaii Kai, Kalama Valley). Ward notes that most of those approached are not interested in assistance. Meanwhile, those near the homeless encampments, such as those near the Lunalilo Home Road one, fear that vacant land owned by Bishop Estate will continue to occupied with homeless. [HNN]

“One additional local issue that has received a lot of attention is the large number of feral house cats living in the state. There are about 300,000 free-roaming cats on Oahu and thousands more on the neighbor islands. The cats are an invasive mainland species, and many of them spread a disease called toxoplasmosis, which is deadly to an endangered local species called the Hawaiian Monk Seal. There are just over one-thousand Hawaiian Monk Seals left in existence.

A recent Civil Beat editorial suggested that the only way to maintain Hawaii’s ecosystem, and keep Hawaiian Monk Seals from edging closer to extinction, is to kill off the population of feral cats. But others have argued that the cats should not be killed, because these problems are not their fault. If you had to choose — what would you do?”

EastOahu96825 is a website focused on the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood. Articles of interest include nearby free and low-cost events, local fundraisers, Costco shopping, and my trials and tribulations in learning Japanese as a second language.

This site also posts the latest information on my pet project, a once a month plant swap that takes place every 2nd Tuesday at Kaiser High School from 4-7pm.